Junos
Junos is the Demon Lord of Deception, and one of the most prominent figures in Hell. He was born in present day Iraq, living as a merchant before selling his soul, and upon his death, being sent to Hell. He is the foremost servant of the Archdemon Baal, and has the largest soul income of any demon lord. Biography Early Life The mortal man that would become Junos was born in the town that would eventually grow into Babylonia, in modern day Iraq, and was named Ubar by the prostitute who gave birth to him. Ubar grew up within the brothel where his mother worked, and at a young age, witnessed the horrors that were brought by living in poverty. Thusly, Ubar resolved to gain wealth at all costs, at first prowling the streets as a petty thief, before he eventually gathered enough coin to purchase a camel, a few goats, and goods which he could sell. At the age of fifteen, Ubar set off across the sands, and would travel from desert town to desert town, working as a shady merchant utterly without scruples. Slowly but surely, he garnered greater and greater wealth, but continued to keep himself from becoming too well known. However, Ubar was unsatisfied with the meager rate at which he was climbing the social ladder, and after stealing a book from a customer while passing through town, fortune smiled upon him. The man who he had pickpocketed had been a wizard, and Ubar had stolen a spellbook, wherein he found a ritual which he used to summon a demon. Ubar struck a pact with the fiend, offering up his soul in exchange for untold riches, and as a result was raised through the machinations of the demon into becoming a merchant prince. Unfortunately, Ubar's newfound wealth did not last, as a few years after his rise to power, he was killed by an assassin sent by a political rival. Upon his death, his soul went straight to Hell. Death and Ascension Upon his arrival in Hell, Ubar, like every other soul, was tortured until consenting to engage in torture himself, which he did almost immediately. As a result, he was left considerably weaker than those who were tortured for longer due to the fact that he had not had as much time to soak in the magical energies applied during the torturous process. After his soul was successfully corrupted (an event which was described as pathetically easy by those who tortured him), he was transformed into a Lower Demon (specifically an imp), and upon reaching the rank of Minor Demon, he renamed himself Junos. Shortly thereafter, he began the arduous process of breaking through the layers of protective magic surrounding Hell to return to Earthrealm. Upon his arrival, Junos possessed the vessel that would serve him for millennia, before beginning to go about his business. Unlike the vast majority of other Minor Demons, he did not spend his time causing chaos or engaging in self gratification, but rather, in manipulating desperate mortals into states that would cause them to summon demons, and then providing them with the rituals and spells to do so. This garnered the attention of higher ranking demons, and shortly thereafter, he was promoted to the rank of Lesser Demon himself. After several decades of service, it soon became apparent to Junos's superiors that he had an extreme talent for manipulating mortals into relinquishing their souls, and thusly, they hesitated in promoting him into a Major Demon, fearing their revenue would decrease. However, Junos did not disappoint, using his newfound power in order to convince mortals that he was a deity. This led to the rise of the first of his cults, and an even greater increase in his prestige and power. As his influence continued to grow, Junos garnered the personal attention of the Demon Prince Baal, and upon his promotion to Greater Demon, instead of reporting to a Demon Lord as per usual, he answered to Baal directly. Within a mere three centuries of his rebirth as a demon, Junos had attained the rank of Demon Lord, an unprecedented feat that led to his name being known through Hell and beyond. Phoenicia When the Phoenician civilization arose, Junos's cults expanded rapidly, until Junos, along with his master Baal, were being worshiped as gods. Age of Enlightenment As the Middle Ages drew to a close, Junos, seeing a chance to weaken the power of Heaven further after their continuous battles with the various godly pantheons, began influencing humans away from the strict religious dogma of the past few centuries and further towards scientific thinking. Junos's actions gained the attention of Lucifer himself, and the demon lord presented his plan to the fallen Archangel, gaining Lucifer's blessing. Thereafter, Junos spearheaded the campaign to shift mortals away from religion, bringing about the Renaissance by whispering knowledge into the minds of mortals. Present Day Junos in the modern day is one of the most influential demon lords in Hell. While not the most powerful, he holds and brings in more souls than any one of his peers. He still utilizes the first host he claimed centuries ago, and has never stopped possessing him, having imbued the body with powerful spells. Junos's cults also still persist in secret, with mortals offering human sacrifices in exchange for his good will. Initiates to his cults wear black robes, to symbolize his humble origins within the sands of the Middle East, whilst his High Priests clad themselves in green, the color of modern currency. Many worshipers possess statues of Junos, which depict him as a heavyset Middle Eastern man with a full beard and frizzy black hair, sitting cross legged and holding a wad of cash in one hand and a screaming child in the other. Junos enjoys human sacrifices to him, which are made on giant altars of solid gold, shaped like ingots to symbolize his love of currency, greed, and capitalism. Physical Appearance Junos, unlike nearly all other demons, takes the form of his host, even when not on Earth. He appears as a broad, heavyset Middle Eastern man with frizzy black hair, and a full beard. However, Junos prefers to replace his eyes with burning flames instead of eyes in order to inspire awe within supplicants. When this fire is not active, Junos has the ability to turn his eyes a pure, sulfurous yellow, like all demon lords. If Junos is ever on Earthrealm and not inside a host, he appears as a large cloud of sulfurous yellow smoke. Personality Junos is an extreme pragmatist, and will do whatever is in his best interest. He is incredibly greedy, power hungry, and covetous, and constantly looks for opportunities to improve his own status. He is also quite cruel (though he does not let his cruelty rule him), and enjoys watching mortals make human sacrifices to him, especially of children. Junos is of the firm belief that capitalism is the prime way of life, and that all sensible beings should strive to acquire wealth and power whenever possible. Powers Demon Lord Physiology: As a demon lord, Junos possesses a number of powerful magical abilities. * Demonic Possession: Like all demons, Junos has the ability to forcibly possess any human he desires, unless they have been warded by powerful magic. * Super Strength: Junos possesses high levels of superhuman strength surpassing that of any lower ranking demons. * Superhuman Durability: As a demon, Junos is completely unaffected by any nonmagical damage inflicted upon himself or his host. ** Host Pain Immunity: Junos feels no pain from damage inflicted on his host. * Healing Factor: Junos is capable of recovering from any damage at extraordinary rates, able to regenerate from most damage with seconds. ** Host Damage Repairment: Junos is able to rapidly heal any damage inflicted upon his host. * Telekinesis (Advanced): Junos possesses the ability to move objects with his mind. He is capable of moving, ripping apart, and otherwise destroyed large and durable objects, but also moving small objects with great precision. * Teleportation: Junos is capable of moving from space to space without traversing the space in between. He is capable of teleporting between Earthrealm and Hell without any effort, and with some exertion, can teleport between other realms so long as there are no sufficiently powerful magical wards or barriers obstructing him. * Deal Making: Junos has the ability to engage in binding magical contracts with other beings. ** Soul Manipulation: Junos, in the context of a deal, is capable of binding souls to Hell, removing souls, and drawing on souls for power. * Hellfire: Junos has the ability to summon and manipulate hellfire, which is capable of killing low level angels and lesser demons, destroying magical artifacts, and harming otherwise invulnerable beings. * Demonic Smiting: Junos is capable of, through physical contact, unleashing surges of devastating Dark Magic so potent they cause disintegration of most humanoid bodies and are capable of killing low level angels and lesser demons. * Demonic Weakness Resistance: Due to his status as a demon lord, Junos is highly resistant to many, and immune to some, demonic weaknesses. ** Holy Symbol Immunity: Junos is completely unaffected by the presence of holy symbols. ** Holy Water Immnunity: Junos is completely unaffected by contact with Holy Water. ** Iron Resistance: The touch of iron causes Junos considerable pain, but it is not crippling like it is for other demons. Junos can, with considerable effort, cross through barriers composed of iron. ** Salt Resistance: The touch of salt causes Junos, considerable pain, but it is not crippling like it is for other demons. Junos can, with considerable effort, cross through barriers composed of salt. * Immense Magical Power: As a demon lord, Junos possesses an enormous amount of magical strength that he can draw on for casting spells. Skills Master Manipulator: Junos is one of the most cunning beings in all of Hell, and indeed, all of the cosmos. Given his vast intellect, he is a master in the art of manipulation, maneuvering demons with centuries of experience and wisdom like pawns within his endless array of schemes. Charisma: Junos is extremely charming, able to beguile and persuade nearly any being, including gods. It is said by many higher beings that one of the most dangerous parts of Junos is his tongue. Occult Knowledge: During his long existence, Junos has acquired a great deal of magical knowledge and lore. Trivia * Junos acquires and possesses more souls than any other demon lord in Hell. * Junos's rise to demon lord status was the fastest in history, only taking three hundred years. * Junos is a demon lord serving under the Archdemon Baal. ** Junos is Baal's second in command. * Junos's second in command is Alistair, a Greater Demon who is regarded as the second most skilled torturer in Hell, after the Demon Prince Asmodeus. Category:Higher Beings